The conservation of a fragmented ecosystem within a cultural landscape—The case of ancient woodland in England

Abstract

Ancient woodland (land continuously wooded since ad 1600) was identified in the 1970s (and confirmed in the 1994 UK Biodiversity Action Plan) as the most important category of woodland for nature conservation. It predominates within special protected sites, but the bulk of this resource (85%) lies outside such protection. Ownership by government and non-government bodies ensures that areas outside the protected site system are managed sympathetically, but the distribution of sites in such sympathetic ownership is very patchy. Hence, the nature conservation value of ancient woods must also be recognised in national forestry policies that apply to all such sites. In cultural landscapes such as in England, not all woodland species survive within the fragmented ancient semi-natural woodland resource. Plantations of introduced species and other, recent woodland must also be included in the conservation strategy. This paper explores the implications of these factors in the development of nature conservation policy and practice in England over the last 15 years.